Chelsea were on the end of a controversial late goal in their 2-2 draw against Brentford at the weekend, and it has now been revealed what the VAR said to the referee after the ball went in the net.
It looked as if the Blues were going to complete a very impressive turnaround in the second half of their West London derby when they led 2-1 thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo.
However, they couldn’t hold on under pressure in the final minutes, and a long throw-in eventually fell to Fabio Carvalho to tuck away.
Jamie Redknapp criticised Alejandro Garnacho for losing his man, however Chelsea supporters were quick to point out that they thought the goal shouldn’t have stood.
Fabio Carvalho scores during Brentford v Chelsea - Premier League
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What VAR told the referee after Fabio Carvalho’s controversial goal vs Chelsea
Jody Morris pointed out Dango Ouattara was offside when the flick-on occurred, and the flag should have gone up to spare Chelsea’s blushes.
Journalist Kieran Gill has stated that VAR official James Bell had informed the referee, Stuart Attwell, that they had deemed there to not be enough impact from Ouattara, and believed the referee’s call should stand.
He said: “On-field decision was that no offside occurred, officials deeming no clear impact from Dango Ouattara before Fabio Carvalho scored.
VAR James Bell studied it but decided “referee’s call” should stand as was subjective and didn’t consider it a clear and obvious error, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb insisting on a high threshold for intervention.”
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Re Brentford’s equaliser vs Chelsea:
⚽️ On-field decision was that no offside occurred, officials deeming no clear impact from Dango Ouattara before Fabio Carvalho scored. VAR James Bell studied it but decided “referee’s call” should stand as was subjective and didn’t consider…
— Kieran Gill (@kierangill_DM) September 14, 2025
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Brentford v Chelsea - Premier League
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Former referee disagrees with VAR call
Chelsea fans will feel aggrieved with the decision, especially after a former Premier League referee believes there were grounds for the goal to be disallowed.
Mark Clattenburg told The Chelsea Chronicle that Carvalho’s goal should not have stood, with him believing Ouattara had a significant impact on the play.
The Blues would have temporarily returned to the top of the Premier League if they had held on for all three points, but must now move on and shift their attention to the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca’s men make the trip to Germany to take on Bayern Munich in a huge first group stage clash on Wednesday.